Choosing the Best Shipping Software

A quick guide on shipping software and which ones we recommend
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Welcome, grasshopper. If you’ve stumbled upon this article, chances are you’re interested in maximizing savings on postage. Maybe you dreamed up a genius idea for an eCommerce business and you’re here to figure it all out. Dreams are powerful—Keith Richards came up with the main riff to “Satisfaction” in a dream! Anyway, back to the matter at hand: shipping software is the best way to buy discounted USPS postage. Postage can be an eCommerce business’ biggest expense outside of the cost of goods sold, and tons of small businesses still pay for it at the full retail price. So, the fact that you’re here already puts you a step ahead! Locking in postage discounts with shipping software can be the difference between your eCommerce business succeeding or failing. We want you to succeed, so we’re here to point you in the right direction. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

What are My Shipping Software Options?

When it comes to choosing the best shipping software for you, there’s a huge selection of options. However, you can group all shipping software into two sub-categories: the major carriers and third-party postage providers.

Using the Major Carriers

As we all know, there are three major shipping carriers in the United States: USPS, UPS, and FedEx. All three companies have their own SaaS you can use to buy postage and ship parcels, which we’ve listed below.

Pro Tip: The retail rates are exactly the same at USPS.com as they are if you buy postage at the Post Office. The same principle also applies to both UPS and FedEx. Therefore, purchasing postage online through the major carriers’ websites will save you time, but ultimately won’t save you money. If you really want to get hooked up with the best USPS discounts, you’ll want to go through a third-party postage provider.

Third-Party Postage Providers

As we touched on in our guide Basics of Shipping for Small Businesses, a third-party postage provider is a company outside of the major carriers that provides postage at discounted rates. There are a variety of choices out there that provide a variety of perks, like the ability to ship at USPS Commercial Pricing rates. We’ve compiled a nice-sized list of different shipping software options for you to browse through below.

Retail Pricing vs. Commercial Pricing

In order to grasp the discounts shipping software can give you, it’s important to first understand the different USPS postage pricing tiers. There are two tiers, which we’ve listed below along with a short description.

  • The Post Office Retail Rate (the rate you’ll pay if you walk into the Post Office or at USPS.com)
  • Commercial Pricing, formerly called “Commercial Plus Pricing” (the most deeply discounted shipping rates available)

The ugly truth is, every single online third-party postage provider offers Commercial Pricing rates. So, deciding which one is the right one for you can be a murky choice sometimes. That being said, almost all of them will hit you with additional markups, monthly fees, or per-label costs…except for one. Brace yourself, because it’s about to get real.

Down the Shipping Software Rabbit Hole

Choosing the right shipping software can be confusing, but no matter which shipping software you decide to go with, you really can’t lose. You’ll most certainly always save money by buying postage at a discount instead of the full retail price. However, the million-dollar question is: how much do you stand to gain?

If you’re eager to compare the different third-party postage providers, feel free to head over to our Shipping Software Reviews page! We’ll meet you at the bottom of the rabbit hole.

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19 Comments

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  1. shifu lu

    Can you please ship by sea from China to Los Angeles, and then Los Angeles will send express to Hawaii. How much is the express shipping cost from Los Angeles to Hawaii for a single box of 20 lbs or more?

    Reply  
  2. phil

    can I send shoes and soap for sale in Bahamas

    Reply  
  3. Omon

    I did some shipment but now I want to change the address how long would it take for usps too resend the package to the new address

    Reply  
  4. Marie

    How can I ship fresh herbs or vegetation?
    What is the cheapest and quickest way to do this?

    Reply  
  5. Porter

    Can one ship fresh seafood via these sites

    Reply  
    • molly

      where and how can i post parcel to france?

      Reply  
  6. Crystal

    Does Rollo count as one of the shipping software?

    Reply  
    • Rockwell Sands

      Hi Crystal – it does, as of 2020! They started offering shipping software services and they began selling labels for carriers like USPS.

      Reply  
  7. Melissa

    In your recommendations, can you go over which companies offer letter postage for 1 oz. letters for personal users and very small businesses? It’s very hard to find shipping software that offers this. So far, only Pitney Bowes and VIP Parcel do this at a reasonable rate. Thanks!

    Reply  
    • Rockwell Sands

      Hi Melissa – Stamps.com offers postage for 1 oz letters, that you’ll be able to access once you create an account. Then, you can print your postage right from home. I hope this helps!

      Reply  
      • Melissa

        Thanks, yes, that’s good to know, but Stamps.com is too expensive for me. Also, I thought they ended their partnership with USPS?

        Reply  
        • Rockwell Sands

          I believe their partnership is back up and running. If Stamps.com is too expensive, then Pitney Bowes might be the best option for you! I don’t know much about sending regular letters that require First-Class Mail stamps, unfortunately; most of my experience is in shipping packages that require labels.

          Reply  
  8. Sam

    Please answer which never says which shipping software is the best or free?

    additional markups, monthly fees, or per-label costs…except for one, and which one?

    Reply  
    • Jason

      I’m gonna guess Pirateship and if you click the link for the shipping reviews just the second sentence from the end of the article, you can see why. GL

      Reply  
  9. Blake

    Forgive me if I’ve somehow overlooked this, but the passage never says which shipping software is the best

    Reply  
    • Dan DeMers

      Check out Grandshipper.com. They don’t have fees and their software is editable.

      Reply  
  10. GloriaL

    Great information, right when I’m getting ready to start my small business! 😉

    Reply  
  11. Rosinah

    When is my package gonna arrive?

    Reply  
  12. CW

    Great article….thank you!

    Reply  

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